Special Needs: Hypothyroid

Description:

UPDATE 12/05/09: When Finn first came to us he was underweight, his coat was very dry and coarse, his stools were loose and he had an upper respiratory infection. He was also very low key, bordering on lethargic. After two weeks of being well cared for, we were not seeing much improvement with his weight, his loose stools (he was wormed) or with the condition of his coat. In fact, his coat seemed to be thinning out. His upper respiratory infection improved, but it took awhile and though he was a bit more perky, it wasn't a significant difference. Finn then visited Dr. Cassie where he was poked and prodded and tested for this and that, with everything coming back negative or normal. He was given a B12 shot and we were told to come back a couple of days later after Finn had been fasted for a thyroid test. Finn's test came back with him being borderline hypothyroid (low thyroid levels), so he was started on daily medication. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this will be the ticket for Finn's improvement in health! We'll be taking Finn back to see Dr. Cassie in 4 weeks for another blood test. Typically, hypothyroidism is easy to treat and the medication is inexpensive. Other than these issues, Finn is a very sweet guy that is very easy going. He gets along with all the dogs in his foster home well. He is house trained but does not seem to know any other commands. He still does not like to be kenneled but is doing much better than he was with that. We will update here with any new information.


Meet Finn!

Finn is a darling flashy fawn Boxer boy that is about 3 years old. He has naturally floppy ears and a docked tail. At 56 lb, Finn is underweight.

Finn had been found as a stray in the county and taken to animal control. When no one came to claim him, we were called. Finn is a very sweet guy that just loves attention. He appears to be house trained but seems to know little else as far as commands. He apparently was not crate trained, so he is having a tough time adjusting to being in a kennel at times and will bark for long periods. At the shelter, they said Finn was great with other dogs but since he has a little bit of a runny nose, he has not yet been introduced to the other dogs in his foster home. Our gut feeling is that he will be fine, though. Right now Finn seems to be kind of laid back but that certainly could change once he becomes better acclimated to his new digs. Finn is now up to date on his vaccines, has been heartworm tested (negative), and has been microchipped. He is scheduled to be neutered and have some dental work done in a couple of weeks. As we get to know more about Finn, we will update here.

Securely fenced yard only. St. Louis and surrounding areas within 50 miles only. We do reference checks. Home visit required prior to adoption. $250.00 adoption fee.